KAZANSUMMIT 2010

The Kazan Kremlin

The history of the Kremlin is a history of city, it begins in X century. The international conference in which scientists from 16 countries took part, has confirmed conclusions of Institute of the History of Tatarstan: Kazan has a 1000-years history.

The true age of Kazan managed to be found out rather recently as a result of large-scale archeological excavations in territory of the Kazan Kremlin. Early date pre-Mongolian layer of the Kremlin two numismatic finds have confirmed. In 1997 at excavation in the Kazan Kremlin the small coin was found. Experts dated it 929-930 years. Appeared, that it is the unique coin retained in the world minted still at a life of the Prague prince Vatzlav. It was a real opening even for the Czech archeologists - it appeared, coins in ancient Prague started to mint a century earlier, than scientists considered. Other found coin - a fragment of silver dirkhem, minted in Shashe (modern Tashkent) at times of Ismail Ahman ruling Ahmad's - it was dated first half X century. In opinion of experts, in a cultural layer of Kazan they got, most likely, at the end of X century.

By XVI century the city gained appearance of a powerful wood -stone fortress with Khan court yard, high mosques and mausoleums.

In 1552 Kazan was taken by storm of Russian armies under command of Ivan Grozny and annexed to Russian state. According to the imperial decree the fortress was reconstructed, built up in stone under direction of well-known Pskov masters Postnik Yakovlev (founder of the St. Basil the Red square in Moscow) and Ivan Shiryai.

The Kazan Kremlin had a reputation of one of the most unapproachable in medieval Russia, having assimilated achievements of town-planning art of Tatars, Russians and, probably, the West-European architects.

Presently, the Kazan Kremlin represents in part restored medieval fortress. The general space of the Kremlin makes 150 thousand square meters. External perimeter of walls about 1800 meters. In XVI-XVII centuries there were 13 towers. By present time only eight are preserved.

Walls and towers of the Kremlin remember Bulgar soldiers, khans of Golden Horde, Russian conquerors and architects. Deeply under the ground secrets of the Kazan Kremlin - the rests of ancient fortresses, mosques and the mausoleums are hidden. In historical city centre archeological excavations, works on reconstruction are conducted. The architects adhere to the idea of restoration of the lost, trying to keep unique colouring of ancient city.